Chiaranzana

In this dance Chiaranzana there is often great disorder, especially at the beginning, because the men rush to take the ladies, as if they were so many falcons, that rushed to take their prey, whence there are sometimes uproars, and significant inconveniences, and most of all when two men approach one woman; who, so as not to do an injury to either, sometimes stays and does not dance.

Therefore I encourage each gentleman to go civilly to take the lady he prefers, and he who leads the Ballo not to start until all have partners. Then with all arranged in an orderly column, togther they will graciously do the Riverenza grave, two Continenze, and two Puntate, one forwards, and the other backwards, beginning each thing with the left foot.

In the second time through the music they will do two Passi gravi, and one Seguito ordinario, or one Doppio, all forwards, beginning with the left foot: then, backwards, they will do another two Passi gravi, and two Riprese to the right, beginning with the right foot, with two Continenze gravi, one to the left, the other to the right: and they will return to do this same thing another time.

MAN'S FIRST VARIATION

He who leads the dance (turning himself to face the second couple) will follow with the same actions done in the second time: taking care to follow always the same rule, until the Sciolta of the tune as a Saltarello.

In the following tempo, he who leads will pass under the couple whom he stands facing, and without anybody releasing the hands of their own lady, boht the two men will take the right hand of the other lady, and then the man will pass under he will do two Passi gravi, and one Seguito ordinario, and after that all four will have taken hands, like a grater, or a chain, and they will do two Trabuchetti gravi, one to the right, the other to the left, with two Riprese to the right, and two Continenze, one to the left and the other to the right. At the end of this time [through the music], he who leads will pass under the next couple that will encounter, and will keep the same rule, doing the same actions described above: the others will do the same, hands in hands, no-one removing ever from his place: and everyone note that when he who leads passes, the others will all follow, otherwise great disorder will come about.

SECOND VARIATION

The man who leads the dance will turn to face the first couple who follow behind [**]: noting that he who follows not release his own lady, but he who leads: and they will proceed in this manner, the lady will take with her left hand the left of the man whom she stands facing, and the man who leads will take with his right hand the right of the other lady, going always in a line, and doing the same actions as above. Having finished this time, releasing hands, they will hold to the same rule with the next couple who follow, until they have gone past all: then he who leads will take the ordinary hands of his own lady, and he will do the first passage described above: all the others will follow, hand in hand, doing that passage.

THIRD MUTANZA

The man who leads, turning, as he has done the other times, to face the first couple who are always following, all four will take hands in a wheel, and they will do two Passi gravi and one Seguito to the left, beginning with the left foot; then they will do another two Passi gravi and two Riprese, beginning with the right, with two Continenze gravi, one to the left, and the other to the right; the the couple who follow will pass under, they they will all keep to the rule described all the couple have passed.

One could do many other variations in this dance; but so as not to be too tedious, it seems to me that I have given enough: or certainly it could be too many for this dance.

THE SCIOLTA OF THE TUNE

All together they will do the Riverenza grave, with two Continenze, then the man who leads will turn with his own lady, and facing they will do together two Seguiti ordinariil; then without releasing hands they will raise their arms, and they will go past all the couples everyone always doing the same Seguiti spezzati, or Passi; the ones they pass will do the same hand in hand; that is, raising their arms, and leaving to pass the couples that follow: or, he who leads will pass with his own lady one time under the couple that follows, and then he and his own lady, raising their arms, will pass over the next couple, and thus they will follow on, hand in hand, passing one time under and the next going over the other couple. This done so that they will have passed all the couples, he who leads, leaving his own lady, will turn to the left, and the lady to the right: they will do the same things that they did hand in hand, that is the men will follow he who leads the dance, and the ladies will likewise follow the lady who leads the dance: and acting in this manner they will find themselves at last all facing, in a line, that is, the men on one side and the ladies on the other.

Then he who leads the dance will take his own lady with both hands, and with the others standing still, they will do two Passi gravi, and one Seguito ordinario to the left, beginning with the left and they will do the saem to the right, beginning with the right, then releasing [hands] they will do a Seguito spezzato to the left in prospettiva, and the Riverenza minima, touching right hands: and they will do the same on the other side, touching left hands: or if they don't want to do that Seguito spezzato and Riverenza minima in their place they will do two Continenze gravi, likewise touching right hands, and left.

After that the man who will follow after will take the lady that will have left the second, and the first will take the lady of the second [**]: and all four together will do the actions described of the first two alone: The same then until they have finished, and by this same rule of exchanging ladies, they will follow the others hand in hands, until they have finished taking all the ladies, where all together they will find themselves to dance; and when the first will encounter his own lady he will take her by the ordinary hand, and doing Seguiti together, going to take her to her own place, doing the Riverenza: and each time the same way, walking together, they others will do it hand in hand: and by this rule they will complete the dance with disorder.